1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic mail system, and more particularly to an electronic mail system, in which a user, when sending an electronic letter or memo, can designate the date or duration when the letter or memo is allowed to be opened by the receiver of it, in other words, is allowed to see by the receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the conventional electronic mail systems is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei-6-268677, for example. In this electronic mail system, a user at a transmission terminal can easily and efficiently set a transmission deadline of an electronic letter or memo with the help of the following two pieces of information which are automatically sent to the user:
1. First information that is the expected time when the user on the receiving side may open the electronic letter or memo; the user on the transmission side is allowed to know the time before setting the transmission deadline; and
2. Second information that is the possibility that the user on the receiving side opens the electronic letter or memo by the designated deadline; the user on the transmission side is informed of the possibility before the electronic letter or memo is transmitted.
However, in the conventional electronic mail systems, when electronic letter or memo is designated for its transmission, the letter or memo is transmitted in real time to a reception terminal. On the other hand, upon receipt of the electronic letter or memo made by the reception terminal, the letter or memo is allowed to be opened and to be read. The same operation is also performed for an electronic letter or memo which contains information which is actually needed in a month, for example. In this case, the user on the receiving side may read the information from the electronic letter or memo upon its reception, but may forget the information after a month when it is actually needed. Such problems may occur in the electronic mail system disclosed in the above Laid-Open, due to the fact that, though a deadline setting at a transmission terminal is taken into consideration, the operation of opening the electronic letter or memo at a designated date or within a designated duration is not provided in the system.
The present invention is provided solving the above-mentioned problem with the above-mentioned conventional technology. Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail system in which an electronic letter or memo (hereinafter referred to as an electronic letter) is allowed to be opened on a designated date or within a designated duration on demand.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail system in which an electronic letter is surely made open on a designated date or within a designated duration on demand.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an electronic mail transmission/reception method and a recording medium which includes a program for transmission/reception of an electronic letter by electronic mail.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an electronic mail system is provided which transmits and receives an electronic letter between two computers of choice from a plurality of computers making up a network system. This comprising said plurality of computers, each will include: a program attachment means for attaching both a designated date or duration indicating when opening the seal of an electronic message is allowed, and a delete program which deletes an electronic letter, to an electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting the electronic letter with the attachment to a computer on the receiving side; and message management means for receiving an electronic letter transmitted from a computer on the transmission side, and then processing according to demands made by the user for opening the electronic letter, in such a manner that: if the current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration for opening attached to the electronic letter, the electronic letter is opened; or otherwise, the delete program attached to the electronic letter is executed.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic mail system is provided which transmits and receives electronic letter between two computers of choice from a plurality of computers making up a network system, comprising said plurality of computers, each including: program attachment means for attaching a delete program to electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting the resulting attachment and electronic letter to a computer on the receiving side; wherein the delete program is configured to process in such a manner that: if the current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration indicating when opening the electronic letter is allowed, the electronic letter is opened; or otherwise, the electronic letter is deleted; and message management means for receiving the electronic letter from a computer on the transmission side, and then executing the delete program attached to the electronic letter on demand made by a user for opening the electronic letter.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, one of the above electronic mail systems is provided using a designated-event generated count or range of generated counts, wherein, until now, the current date, and the designated date or duration for opening have been determined with the help of an event-generated count.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provision for a method of transmitting and receiving electronic letter between any two computers from a plurality of computers making up a network system, comprising the steps of: attaching both a designated date or duration indicating when opening the electronic letter is allowed, and a delete program which deletes electronic letter, to electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting it to the computer on the receiving side; and receiving the electronic letter from a computer on the transmission side, and then either opening the electronic letter if the current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration for opening the electronic letter, or executing the delete program attached to the electronic letter according to the requests made by the user for opening the electronic letter.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is a method provided for transmitting and receiving electronic letter between any two computers from a plurality of computers making up a network system, comprising the steps of: attaching a delete program to electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting the electronic letter with the attachment to a computer on the receiving side; wherein the delete program is configured to process in such a manner that: if the current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration indicating when opening an electronic message is allowed, the electronic letter is opened; otherwise, the electronic letter is deleted; and receiving the electronic letter from a computer on the transmission side, and then executing the delete program attached to the electronic letter according to a request made by a user for opening the electronic letter.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, one of the above-mentioned methods is provided using a designated-event generated count or a range of generated counts, wherein the current date and the designated date or duration for opening are determined with the help of an event generated count until now.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a storage medium is provided, recording thereon a program enabling each computer from a plurality of computers which make up a network system, to execute the processes of: attaching both a designated date or duration indicating when opening electronic letter is allowed, and a delete program which deletes electronic letter, to electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting the electronic letter and attachment to a computer on the receiving side; and receiving electronic letter from a computer on the transmission side, and on request made by the user for opening the electronic letter, either opening the electronic letter if the current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration for opening attached to the electronic letter, or executing the delete program attached to the electronic letter, otherwise.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, a storage medium is provided, recording thereon a program enabling each of a plurality of computers which make up a network system, to execute the processes of: attaching a delete program to electronic letter input by a user, and transmitting the electronic letter with the attachment to a computer on the receiving side; wherein the delete program is configured to process in such a manner that: if current date is equal to or falls on a designated date or within a designated duration indicating when opening an electronic letter is allowed, the electronic letter is opened; otherwise, the electronic letter is deleted; and receiving the electronic letter from a computer on the transmission side, and then executing the delete program attached to the electronic letter on request made by a user for opening the electronic letter.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, one of the storage media is provided, using a designated-event generated count or a range of generated counts, wherein the current date, and the designated date or duration for opening has been determined with the help of an event generated count until now.